FRANKFURT, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Theodor Weimer, the head of Unicredit’s Germany unit, is a serious contender for the helm of Deutsche Boerse, a person familiar with the search said on Wednesday.

The German stock exchange operator is hoping to fill the role by the end of the year. The current CEO, Carsten Kengeter, is stepping down amid an ongoing insider trading investigation, though he denies wrongdoing.

Deutsche Boerse and HypoVereinsbank, Unicredit’s Germany unit based in Munich, declined to comment.

Bloomberg News earlier reported that Weimer was the leading candidate for the spot. (Reporting by Alexander Huebner and Andreas Framke; Writing by Tom Sims; Editig by Sabine Wollrab and)